Krazy Glue Dreams
by genvessel
Summary: He made a face, “You can’t put the world back together again by yourself! Let us help. Don’t shut us out, Jed.'


Title: **Krazy Glue Dreams**  
Author: Kristen  
Written: May 15, 2001  
Genre: general POV - Jed  
Spoilers: 18th and Potomac  
Disclaimer: they're not mine and i'm not making money  
Note: This may seem a bit rambling, but I hope it's coherent and you follow it and enjoy it. R/R

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I had a dream last night that I was back in kindergarten. It was strange, though, because I was still the President, but I was a child.

I was handed this glass globe, but before I could get a hold on it, it crashed to the floor. I was horrified. Although it wasn't my fault, the person that handed it to me had done a shabby job, I still felt  
horribly guilty. Then, all my other classmates came up to me and handed me this huge vat of Krazy Glue. I went to work immediately, trying to glue the pieces back together the best way I saw it. But everyone else kept yelling at me to 'Do this' or 'No! Don't glue that there! I don't like it there!' or 'I would do a much better job!'

I kept frantically searching for someone to tell me that I was doing a good job, but there was no one. I wanted to tell the people, "But you're not me! And this isn't your job, it's mine! And if you think you'd do such a great job, tell me what to do because I can't think with all of you people yelling at me!"

I was so frustrated that I started to cry. Then they all started saying, "It's his MS. His brain is going, and he really can't be trusted. Someone should get rid of him." I wanted to defend myself, but it was like my mouth was wired shut. I couldn't say anything in my own defense.

Then this voice came from the middle of the crowd. "Would all of you just shut up? You elected him to be your President and he's been doing a great job and he'll keep doing a great job but you all need to can it!"

My heart swelled. Someone was proud of me! That's all quite important to a five-year-old, you know. I looked up and met the eyes of a young boy with blue eyes and frizzy hair.

I grinned and motioned for him to walk towards me. "Would you like to help?" I asked when he was right next to me. "I really can't do this by myself." His eyes lit up and he nodded.

"Can my best friend come, too?"

"Sure," I smiled.

Before I knew it, there was another little boy with black hair helping us put the globe back together again.

"Jed."

My head snapped around. I knew that voice.

Abbey! "Where have you been? I've missed you. I need your help, too." I said all in one breath as I handed the piece I was holding to one of the other boys and ran to hug her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "They wanted me to be someplace else."

"Who are they? I need you here."

She grinned and followed me back to the globe: quickly going to work, as I knew she would.

But there was still people missing. The four of us couldn't do it alone, that I was sure of. This globe had smashed into a billion little pieces and they needed to go back together in the right order and it was so hard. So hard.

"Where's Leo?" Abbey asked suddenly.

That's who was missing! Leo McGarry! "I don't know. He didn't come to help when the globe smashed."

"I didn't know you wanted me to." I was startled as I finally noticed Leo in the front row of the on looking crowd.

"Of course I need you!" I assured him, handing him a piece. He grinned.

"CJ, Toby," he called. "I met some new people that can help," he whispered to me as another little girl and boy pressed their way through the masses of other children. Noticing the two boys I had invited, he gave me a funny look. "Who are they?"

"I don't know. I can't remember their names."

"He never asked," the frizzy-haired boy told Leo. "I'm Josh."

"I'm Sam," the other one said.

We all went about our business for a while, until Leo pulled me aside. "Why didn't you ask for help? Why didn't you call for me and Abbey?"

I didn't really know. I felt so confused. "I thought I could do it alone. I didn't want to bother you."

He made a face, "You can't put the world back together again by yourself! Let us help. Don't shut us out, Jed. Tell us what's going on. These are good kids. They know what they're doing, but you've got to tell us what you're doing and what you want to do and we'll make sure it gets done."

I nodded.

And then I woke up.

It was the strangest dream I've ever had. I was so confused. I pondered it all the way through breakfast.

Sometimes that is the way I feel. That putting the world back together again really shouldn't be that hard because I know everything we need to fix. But I forget that there are a few billion other people on the  
planet. I may be the most powerful theoretically, but I'm really not.

For instance, there _needs_ to be peace in the Middle East. I simply refuse to live in a world where there's not anymore. But the people over there don't seem to agree with me. There's a whole lot more at stake for them, yet they can't swallow their pride and just talk. But then again, I feel stupid giving them advice. I can't possibly know what's going through their heads. They've been at war for longer than America's been around! As ridiculous as I think that is, I'm not them.

I would also like the AIDS pandemic in Africa to stop. I would like them to take more precautions and put a higher priority on health and sanitation. The problem is, until I figure out how they can do it, I have no right to tell them to fix it.

I would like teenagers to stop having babies. I'm not sure at what point in this country that became acceptable, but I wish it wasn't. I wish we weren't making excuses for them. I wish that we were at a point in our country again where it was just wrong to have sex before marriage and that's why you didn't do it. It was just wrong. Abbey says it all goes back to the flappers in the '20's. They were the first generation of rebels. I don't know, but I don't think that 16-year-olds should be having children. Maybe it's just me.

I would like for Charlie to stop getting horrible letters and I wish that I didn't need the Secret Service. I wish that people would just get over the fact that there are people on this planet that are different from them and let the rest of us go on with our lives. Racism has always been ridiculous to me, but it's been even more so since Charlie and Zoey started dating. Basically because this is the first time I've realized how prevalent it is in our society.

I joke that our country is going to hell in a handcart and there are days that I believe it. I whine and moan about all that's wrong with the world because that's all I deal with all day long. There's never a whole lot of good news floating around this building. But, oh, how I wish there was.

I want Toby to come in tomorrow smiling.

I want Leo to go home and get a good night's rest. 

I want Josh to never have to go to the therapist again.

I want CJ to go on a date with a great guy.

I want Sam to stop freaking out about this boat thing and get on with his life.

I want them to be happy.

I want them to have peace. Peace is not something that I'm expecting anytime soon, but that's what I wish for them.

I know it won't happen today, because it can't.

Today is Delores Landingham's funeral.

Today I have to bury one of the greatest women that this world has ever known. She's been the glue of this administration more times that I know I realize.

And I thought gluing the world back together was hard with her.

Josh said last night that he'd never be able to eat another cookie without thinking about her. Toby was about ready to launch a national campaign against drunk drivers when CJ reminded him that there were  
already a few. Leo was quiet.

"It could have been me," he had told me later. "I've driven drunk so many times and not even thought twice. A few years back, it could have been me that killed her."

_Sigh_

It's 9:00. Sitting here wandering through my mind is no longer an option; I need to go to the funeral.

And then I need to get back to Krazy Gluing the world back together as best as I know how.

With a little help from my friends.


End file.
